Left 4 Dead : The Road To Salvation
by RainbowZombieApocolypse
Summary: In a zombie apocalypse, love only makes things more complicated. Nick X Ellis, rated M for language and sexual content. M/M don't like, don't read.
1. We're Safe For Now

Three and a half weeks since infection. The streets were filled with rotten, dead corpses. Blood stained the once chalky streets of the southern United States, along with a few more slimy, unidentified substances. The four survivors trudged silently over the bodies, tensed and ready to bounce into action at the slightest groan or screech.

"Pheeeewaaaay." Ellis hollard, rubbing his nose at the fowl stench of rotten flesh and long spilled blood. "This smells almost as bad as tha' time Keith an'I left some eggs in the chicken coop an' they went bad so we decided to throw them at old miss Rowan's house. She was sew pissed she-"

"Ellis sweetie, I don't think this is the time for that."

"A'right. Don't getch'yo panties in a knot, Ro." The mechanic said, raising his hands infront of him defensively, gun grasped loosely in his right fist.

The team continued on, walking cautiously over the empty, ruined streets, taking out the few infected along the way. They were becoming scarcer and scarcer as the days went by, which made the four of them hope that they were starting to reach an end to their bloody killing spree on creatures that were once innocent humans just like them. Although, thats all it remained. A small flicker of hope inside each of their hearts.

"It'll be dark soon." Nick pointed out, noting how the sun had begun to lower in the sky, casting an orangey glow on the abandoned streets. "We should start looking for the next safe house."

"Nick's right. Check the buildings, one's gotta be around here somewhere." Rochelle added, scoping their surroundings before cautiously going towards a row of townhouses.

They continued down the street of buildings, searching for a house with a heavy door or at least one that had all its walls intact to spend the night.

"There," Coach pointed to the familiar barred door, leading into one of the larger townhouses. "That looks like a good enough place. Might be a few beds in there too." He added as an afterthought, imagining the warmth and comfort of an actual bed for the first time in a long while.

"A'right, let's get in there 'fore summin' else cides' to get us first." Ellis said, switching his gun for a crowbar as he padded after Rochelle, Coach then Nick.

As they were within a few steps of the safe house, a familiar sound resonated through the area, making the 4 survivor's muscles tense up.

"Smoker!" Rochelle warned, as if the other three hadn't already guessed the infected's presence by its constant hacking.

They continued inching towards the door, surveilling the tops of high up buildings for the sniper. It seemed that they were going to make it in before the smoker's grotesque tongue got to any of them so Rochelle went through the door first, followed by Coach closely behind her.

Ellis continued to watch the highest point of the rooftops, still wary about the smoker's presence. He was about to follow Nick into the safe house when out of nowhere, a long tongue wrapped itself around his upper torso dragging him further and further away from safety.

"Help! Smoker's got me!" Ellis shouted, struggling against the Smoker's pull and clawing at the surprisingly tough tissue that formed its tongue.

He could feel himself being lifted up slightly, the infected's arms reaching out as it slashed at his chest. The zombie's attacks began to leave deep gashes in his skin, ripping him to shreds in a matter of seconds.

Nick shut his eyes tightly, figuring this might be the end when a firm hand grasped his shoulder. At first he thought it was another infected, coming to join in on the Smoker's fun but he soon realized it was too gentle a touch to be another infected.

He opened his eyes to see Nick fighting against the Smoker's grip, pulling Ellis closer towards himself as he took out his magnum, placed it at the Smoker's head and pulled the trigger. With a strangled choking sound, the Smoker vanished into a poof of horrid gas, causing the two to break out into a fit of coughs as Nick grabbed Ellis' arm and quickly ushered him back towards the safe room, closing the door behind him once the hick had safely scurried in beside him.

"Uugh..." Ellis groaned, cradling his wounds. "thank's Nick. I woulda been a goner if y'all hadn't come'n save my ass." He laughed, forcing a smile through the stinging pain of the long cuts all along his abdomen.

"Ellis, are you ok?" Rochelle asked beside him, concern apparent in her voice as she readied her health pack to treat his wounds.

"Nah, I'm alright. No need to use your kit on me." He said, pushing away the offered health kit. "I jus' need to sleep on it and I'll be right as rain."

Rochelle wasn't sure she believed him at first but disregarded it none the less.

"So," Ellis stood up straight, hiding a wince of pain behind gritted teeth. "Let's check to see what this here house has to offer?"

In the house they managed to find some food, canned goods amongst the rotting meat and vegetables that weren't yet expired. They dined on canned peaches, boxes of stale crackers and a case of soda they had found stowed away in the pantry. It didn't sound like much, but to a group of people who hadn't eaten in days this was a feast.

Enjoying the warmth of food in his stomach for the first time, pain in his chest almost forgotten, Ellis was the first to break the silence. "So where we gunna sleep t'night?"

"Check for rooms upstairs. There must be at least two in a house this big." Rochelle pointed out, motioning towards the staircase.

The four made their ways up the wooden stairs, still keeping an eye out for any infected that had stayed in the house. They noticed the first room on the right had a double bed, covers messed around but the bed still looked intact. As they turned more to the left a room with a smaller bed was available.

"Dibs." Rochelle called with a small smile. Being a girl, and the others being the _gentlemen _that they are, let her have the room to herself.

Moving past the bathroom, they made their way to the last room. The door was open just a crack so Rochelle cautiously opened it, incase there were unwanted things waiting in there for them.

Inside this room, the walls were covered in soft colors of blood stained wallpaper. Stuffed animals littered the floor in a messy heap. The survivors could see a small crib beyond the mess of stuffed bears. Each of them became silent.

The baby's room made them fall quiet, imagining the family struggling against the infected. Its been so long since they've seen any other survivors, they almost forgot how to feel empathy towards others. Even Nick seemed a little downcasted as his eyes fell sullen on the baby's crib.

"Maybe they managed to escape?" He suggested, noting that aside from the tattered mess and fading stains of crimson this house looked almost untouched.

"Maybe..." Coach let out lowly, doubting his own words.

"I guess we can't use this room." Rochelle added last, closing the door.

The silence continuing for only a moment more, now it was time to decide the sleeping arrangments.

Rochelle had already claimed the single bed, and now to up to debate was which two men would share the double bed and who would sleep on the sofa downstairs.

"Not to sound like a chicken, but I'd really apreciate it if y'all would le'me sleep up here." Ellis asked carefully, trying not to sound like a coward. Truth is, that smoker had kinda spooked him and his wounds were starting to burn again.

"I'm not too fond of sleeping on couches." Nick sneered, looking at Coach.

"Guess I'll take the couch." Coach said, not sounding thrilled to have the springy sofa but at least happy that he wouldn't have to share a bed with any of the guys.

"Then its settled. Now we should all get some rest. Still got a long way to go until we make it to the evac station." Rochelle told them, going to her own sleeping quarters. Coach nodded his head to them as Nick and Ellis went towards the master bedroom.

"Night Ro, Night Coach." Ellis said, following Nick to the room with the double bed.

"Guess sharing a bed with a hillbilly is better then having to squeeze between Ton's of Fun and the wall." Nick muttered.

"Hey man, that was uncalled for." Ellis scolded, holding back a slight chuckle. "An jus' cause I'm from Georgia ain't mean I'mma '_hillbilly'_" He added.

Nick grinned and flicked the baseball cap off of Ellis' head. "I'm just messin' with ya kid."

Ellis' hands went to his hatless head, petting the curls of chestnut hair as if he was surprised that hat actually flew off. "Not cool man," He said, bending over to pick it up.

Feeling the cuts fold over on themselves, Ellis failed to hold in the low groan, his arm cradling his abdomen as he grabbed the hat and stood upright.

"You ok?" Nick asked.

"Yeah yeah," The southerner grunted out, lifting his shirt slightly to see smeered blood around the wound and fresh blood seeping out of it. "That there Smoker got me good didn' he?" Ellis chuckled.

"Come here." Nick said, the words sounding more like a comand.

Ellis looked at the man confused for a second as he pulled out his health pack and began taking out its contents, ready to treat the mechanics wounds.

"Nah, man." Ellis groaned, making his way to the bed. "You don't have to waste your kit on me, I'm fine."

"Shut up." Nick said, taking out the gauze, slightly startling Ellis with how harsh the words sounded. "Besides, if I leave you like that your only bound to slow us down tomorrow." He added, and this time the words didn't sound nearly as harsh as the last. "Now come here and let doctor Nick fix ya up."

Still hesitant but knowing that objecting wouldn't help him much and only make Nick angry, Ellis took of his T-shirt, letting the gashes be exposed. The cool air of the house made them sting and he sat on the edge of the bed, letting the conman pour rubbing alcohol on them-which burned like the fiery pits of hell!- and wrap up his lower and mid torsi with the white bandages. Nick knew why Ellis kept refusing to take his teamates health packs, he hadn't been the only one to notice the lack of little red packages in this safe room. Another group of survivors must have come here and grabbed them before they came and Ellis, having given his own healthpack to Coach earlier today after a Charger got him, didn't want to use one up, just incase someone else might need it.

"There we go, now you won't have to bleed all over my three thousand dollar suit." Nick covered up his kind gesture with cold words, trying not to lose his bad guy rep. Then again, when two thirds of the population were now angry, savage monsters, what real good was a reputation?

"Thanks Nick, I apreciate it." Ellis said, putting his shirt back on and finding a spot next to the conman on the bed while Nick took off the white jacket of his suit, letting it hang neatly over the back of a desk chair.

"No problem kid, now let's get some sleep while we can."

Ellis crawled uner the covers next to Nick, face the man whose back was turned to him, burning holes in his blue clad back with his constant stare. Nick seemed to feel the gaze from some sort of sixth sense and turned slightly, looking at the younger man with a moderately confused expression.

"Can I help you?" He asked sarcastically, just wishing that the kid would stop staring at him so he could go to sleep.

"Well heck Nick, ain't'cha gunna say g'night?" Ellis asked, almost cutely. Like a little kid with bad grammar, pestering his parents as they tucked him in, Nick thought.

With a loud and heaved sigh Nick let out a firm, "Good night, Ellis." As he turned back to lay on his side, closing his eyes.

A small grin managed to make its way unto the southerner's lips, turning into a full out smile as the man next to him pretended to be asleep, hoping that he would get the hint and do the same.

"'Night Nick." Ellis said, turning his own back, finally feeling secure enough to let himself shut down for the first time in a long while.

**A/N : Yeah, sorry if this sucks, don't first chapters always? Anyway, reviews would be aprectiated and feed my motivation. Be nice guys, this is the first fanfiction I've written in over a year...I think. I hope y'all enjoy my first addition to my new fandom and knowing my past fanfiction experience, it certainly won't be my last. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this or at least get a good chunk out of it, eh? Don't be afraid to leave suggestions and critisize the heck outta me, I know I tend to make my characters act OOC but just bare with me, kay? Until the next installement! **


	2. The Bridge Bombed Away

Nick let out a low groan as he stirred in his wake, feeling something heavy ontop of him. Forcing one eye open he had to close it again, feeling soft rays of sun fill his darkness adapted eyes.

Figures, the first nice day in a whole month and it was during a freaking zombie apocolypse.

How ironic.

Blinking a few more times to get used to the blinding light, Nick was finally able to make out the burly shape resting on his chest, snoring slightly and seeming as peacefull as a fucking monk.

Apparently, sometime during the night while hogging all the blankets, nearly kicking Nick off of the goddamn bed with his constant shuffling, and talking so much in his sleep that Nick was just about ready to smother him with a pillow, Ellis had found that Nick made a much more comfortable pillow and was now draped all over him.

Nick sighed, bringing the hand that wasn't trapped underneath the hick to his forhead, running it through his slicked back, greasy hair. Man, he could really go for a shower right about now...

"Mnmm..."

Nick looked down to see Ellis mumble in his sleep, snuggling a little closer to the warm body he was currently acting as a blanket for. The conman couldn't fight the small, very small, almost invisable, smile that came to his lips.

At least he was quiet.

Nick's ears strained at the routine coughing sound that Coach usually made as he woke up. Probably clearing his throat from all the stuff that had crawled into his mouth from snoring so goddamn loud. Soon Rochelle would be joining them and like always, Ellis was the last to rise, usually shaken awake by the reporter in an almost endearing, motherly way. Nick figured he better wake the kid up himself, lest the others find them in this compromising state.

He tapped the back of his hand over Ellis' hatless head, gently enough not to hurt him but hard enough to him up. "Hey, kid. Wake up." When Ellis' was this out of it, he could sleep through a rampaging tank it seemed.

The hick made a few groans of protest, wanting to stay asleep for a while longer but lifted his head none the less, hand rubbing at his jaw and wiping away the string of drool that had trickled out of the corner of his mouth. Nick's eye twitched as he noted the dark, wet spot on his shirt.

His 3000$ shirt.

Nick watched Ellis' eyes scrunch up, half of it seeming like he was adjusting to the light, the other half seeming like he was trying to figure out where the hell he was. The hick's eyes widened slightly when he realized he was laying across the conman's chest like a virgin the morning after and an expression of embarassement dawned on his face.

Can someone say awkward?

The southerner lifted himself off of Nick as if the conman had turned to fire and burned him. "Err, sorry there buddeh." Ellis rubbed the back of his sheepishly. "Must've mistaken yew for a pillow." He admitted, chuckling nervously, a soft blush painting his cheeks.

Nick made a sound as if to say 'uh-huh', and got up, reaching over to grab his suit jacket and slip it on, trying to wipe away the spot of drool on his shirt.

His 3000$ shirt, may he remind you.

"Awww man, I'm sorry." Ellis' apologized, feeling even more embarassed if possible.

"S'alright..." Nick groaned out. He seemed to be coming to ends with fussing over a few annoying stains on expensive clothing. Afterall, there were more important things to worry about when 1/3 of the population now tried to sink their teeth in your flesh. "What do you say we go salvage what we can for breakfast, huh?"

Ellis was about to say something when his gurgling stomach spoke for him, notifying him that it craved food. The two men exchanged a look and then began laughing, Ellis' more cheery then Nick's breathy chuckle.

"So," Rochelle asked, shoving a handful of stale frosted flakes into her mouth. "What's the plan for today?" She muttered through a moutful of dry cereal, covering her mouth with her hand in a way that still showed she had some manners left in this time.

"Obviously evacuation isn't an option anymore." Nick pointed out.

It had been nearly a month since the Green Flu had spread, meaning rescue operations had most likely become a far fetched ideal.

"If there are any survivors other than us left, they're probably heading to the military base in New Orleans." He added.

Coach's lips pressed into a thin line and he shook his head. "They announced the military base on the news a month ago when the infection was still juvenile. How do we know it hasn't been overrun by now?"

"We don't." It was Ellis' turn to speak now. "But I think Nick's plan is best. Dunno what's there t'ill we take a look for ourselves." A small, hopefull smile crept onto his lips. "Hell, maybe they'll have a nice, hot shower jus' waitin' fer us?"

Rochelle seemed reeled into the plan at the mention of a possible shower and Coach also looked like he was ready to agree. What other choice did they have, anyway?

"So its settled." Nick reached for his magnum on the dinner table and sheathed it in his belt. "We're heading to New Orleans."

After their bellies had been filled with dry and canned foods, guns had been restocked with ammo and all supplies that could be salvaged taken and cramed into their pockets and small bags, the group set out, exiting the safe room to set foot into a zombie infested city once again.

"Our best bet to get to New Orleans is to get across the bridge." Coach told the other three, having lived around these parts and knowing the terrain.

Ellis nodded and pointed his gun in the direction a little to the left of them. "Should be jus' round there."

Indeed, a large bridge was visible far off in the distance. It would still take quite a while to walk there, but hope flickered inside of them none the less.

"Then we'll reach the CEDA military base." Rochelle added.

The survivors trudged through the city, or at least what was left of it, taking out any infected they happen to come across on the way. Nick kept his eye on Ellis, knowing full well that if a hunter, or a chrager, or even a close ranged smoker got him, then his wounds would surely re-open. Why Nick cared so much was beyond him though. Maybe he was finally starting to show some consideration for his teammates or hell, maybe he just wanted to keep them alive so they could watch his back. Either way, he knew that the more of them that made it, the better.

A few hours passed, and they were getting closer to the bridge, the once hazy silhouette now a looming hunk of metal and concrete just a few metres away. They were so close they could taste the freedom on the tips of their tongues.

Continuing forward, Coach leading and Nick taking up the rear, the group cautiously advanced towards the structure. Just before they were about to step onto the bridge, Coach spoke up, giving a few words of encouragement.

"We're almost there, after we cross this bridge its just a few more miles and then thats where the CEDA campp should be located." His face turned harsh and he gave them all stern looks. "But don't go getting cocky. This is where the special infected will fuck us over the most. A smoker could drag you clean off the bridge, a charger could do the same just as easily and a tank..." The man stopped momentarily, trying to find the best words. "Let's just hope we don't get one." Was all he managed to say.

The rest nodded in agreement, cocking their guns, taking out their axes, readying pipe bombs and jars of boomer bile.

All of them began to cross the mile long bridge cautiously and rapidly; speed, agility and sheer luck would be their best tactic at this point. They shot at infected that stood up, ready to tear them to shreds, threw pipe bombs to thin out the crowds and just ran for it at some parts. They about 3/4 passed the bridge when suddenly the ground beneath them began the shake violently.

"Tank!" Rochelle shouted.

But something didn't seem right, Nick thought, looking at the humungus shape of the tank digging its beefy fists into the ground and ripping out large chuncks of concrete, throwing it at them with insane accuracy. The bridge continued to shake, and Nick knew that not even the monsterous Tank was enough to make it tremble this much.

A wooshing noise sounded above them and Nick looked up to see four military grade fighter jets. Large, round packages fell from their cock pits and it didn't take Nick long to piece together what was happening.

"Hit the deck!" He yelled, making a run towards Ellis' who was busy shooting a barage of bullets at the Tanks distant forme to pay attenntion to his warning.

The Tank ripped out another chunck of stone from the bridge and threw at Ellis just as Nick tackled him to the ground in time to avoid the fatal blow.

"Nick! Wha'-" He was cut off when one of the explosives released by the jet plane reached the bridge and exploded.

Nick covered the kid's body with his own as the shockwave blew debris over their heads. The tank was still roaring and tossing cars in any direction with its brute strength. If the bombs didn't kill them, then surely this monster infected would.

"They're bombing the bridge!" Rochelle called out at the sound of more explosives being dropped from the planes.

Ellis got up from under Nick, groaning as pieces of rock and concrete rolled off of his body as he stood. "Why they blowin' up the bridge, Nick?" He asked, picking up his gun incase the tank decided to turn on them.

"To stop the zombies from crossing!" Nick spoke loudly and as if the answer was obvious.

More bombs touched the bridge and exploded on contact, the tank continuing to roar and throw things at the survivors, whom were crouched behind cars.

"We need to make a run for it!" Nick shouted at Coach and Rochelle, nestled behind the van to their right.

The others nodded, getting ready to sprint to the other side of the bridge. Nick gripped his gun firmly in his two hands, so hard he figured the metal might mold around his fists. He turned towards Ellis.

"Get ready."

The four made a dash for the other end, plowing bullets into the immense infected in their way. The tank didn't seem too happy about this as it ripped the door off of a truck, getting ready to throw it at them.

Nick continued to shoot at the infected, one of his bullets bouncing off of the metal door and back at him, the round now embeded in his calf. Nick fell to the ground in pain, hands flying to his injured leg.

"Nick!" Ellis looked back to see Nick on the ground groaning in agony as he haunched over his bleeding leg.

Rochelle and Coach looked back aswell, ready to help up their teamate when Ellis waved his hand for them to keep going forward, telling him he'd take care of the conman. With hesitance and a grimace, they both continued running forward, past the tank and reaching the other end of the bridge.

Ellis made it to Nick's side, wrapping an arm around his torso to help the dark haired man up. Nick made a low groan, his pupils dialating as he slipped in and out of conscousness.

"Com'on man, get up. Don'chu dare die on me." The hick almost pleaded, slinging the other's arm over his shoulder. He limped forward with the conman leaning on him, now all they had to do was pass the tank.

It seemed to notice them as it pushed a truck out of its way like it was nothing, running on its haunches and leaning on its knuckles as it rampaged in their direction.

Ellis screwed his eyes shut tightly, his gripping tightening on Nick's white suit. This was it...They were gonna die.

The tank continued bowling through the cars, only a few metres away from the two survivors now. Just when Ellis thought it was going to deliver the final blow, another bomb met the broken concrete. The bridge began to crumble beneath them, and Ellis held on even tighter to Nick.

The ground underneath him began to sway, going down with the bridge, before vanishing from under their feet completly. The two started to fall, the rushing river that was once far beneath them now looming closer and closer.

They hit its surface like a brick, sinking into the dark depths of the water. Ellis could feel his grip on his friend loosening as the icy water chilled him to the bone, making his vision slow and blurry. Ellis fought to keep his hold on the conman, kicking for the surface through the churning rapids.

He kicked until he could touch the earth under his feet, walking throught the rushing waters to make it to the riverbank. When he reached the muddy riverbank, Ellis dropped Nick onto the ground as gently as he could manage, feeling the conman's face and checking for a pulse.

"Nick? Nick? Com'on man, don' leave me here alone. Nick? Come on!" Ellis cried, tears begining to leak out of his eyes.

All Nick could here was a distant voice echoing through his pounding head, Ellis' face darkening and blurring out of his vision as his eyes closed.

**A/N : Cliffhanger! :P Hopefully I'll be able to update soon, considering my school starts tomorrow. I have a lot to do until the end of January, but after that when my new semester starts it should be pretty easy going. Till next time my little zombies!**


	3. A Burning Question

Nick was laying in sweet purgatory, not quite sure what was around him. Was he seeing white or was he seeing black? Was this heaven? Nah, with his street rep this was probably hell. But, he thought as he felt soft warmth engulf his body, if this was hell he sure didn't mind it.

The darkness around him was calming and the coman began to wonder if he was actually dead. His thoughts began to venture towards the last moments he remembered before falling unconscious, or dead for all he knew, and he immediately began to think of Ellis.

A swift pang shot through his chest as he questioned if the hick had made or or if he was in the same peacefull place he was right now. Then again, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Sure beat getting attacked by infected 24/7.

The last memory he could recall was the kid's bruised and bloodied face, remembering how the tears cascaded down his cheeks and dripped onto Nicks own numb face. Nicks heart felt sore at the image burned into his train of thought and he found it rather annoying that he couldn't get the hick's face out of his mind, although that might have been a lie. Trapt in this dark, unknown, desolate place, Nick was starting to think that hearing the southerner's voice might not be so bad after all.

HIs eyes closed again, and Nick barely recalled if he had opened then initially. The warm feeling in his body began to fade, the only thing staying was the burning in his right leg. His once feather light eyelids were beginning to feel like lead. Twitching as he tried to pry them open, NIck blinked back through crusted over eyes, feeling the soreness of his body really start to hit him.

The surface under him felt soft and cushion-y, unlike the hard, wet dirt he last remembered laying on.

Nick let out a low growl and tried to sit up, only giving up as he found his body useless to move. Cursing slightly he brought his hand up to cradle his aching head. It felt like a tank had thrown a cinder block at it, which might have actually happened now that he remembered their previous escapade on the bridge of doom.

"Looks like yew finally woke up." Came an all too famillar voice.

Nick craned his head to see Ellis sitting at the edge of the bed he was apparently laying on top of. His eyes travelled down to were his leg ached and burned and he saw white bandages wrapped around his upper thigh were he remembered getting shot by a stray bullet.

He tried to sit up again, feeling that even the simplest of things took an enormous amount of energy. Ellis was up and at his side, hand pressing against the middle of the man's chest in a way that told him not to sit up too quickly.

"How long have I been out?" Nick, still hazy and head swimming, asked.

"Abou'two days." Ellis said, almost not believing the claim himself as Nick watched him with confused, squinted eyes.

"That long eh? Then why do I still feel like shit." He continued to massage his throbbing head, finally starting to grasp where they were.

"Prolly' cause a we got 'it by a tank and yew got shot a bullet in yer leg." Ellis said, sitting at the edge of the bed next to the other man. "Although I'd say yer perdy lucky. Yew could've died and I wouldn've been too far behind, kinsiderin' we fell off of a 50 foot high bridge." Ellis told the story in his heavy accent. "We are some perdy lucky suns'a'bitches." He added with a slight chuckle.

As Nick's eyes began to look around the room, noticing the green wallpapers and hardwood floors, not to mention the fact that the floral bed sheets made him feel kinda old. Or gay. Another question bubbled up inside him.

"Where are we?"

"Well, while yew'er unconscious, I dragged yew to this here house that I saw. Man oh man, we did get peeeerdy lucky."

Nick ignored the kid's rant on luck and then began to notice something else. He took in a deep breath through his nostrils and then his eyebrows curled.

"You don't smell." He said solely and Ellis cocked his head a little to the side in slight confusion. "And you look all cleaned up." He added, remembering the blood, muk and grime covering the kids possibly handsom face. Ellis smiled to himself in an almost cocky grin.

"Tha's cause this here place 'as a workin' shower!" Ellis said, feeling proud in his discovery. "Water's nice'n hot too. People who lived here 'for must'a had there own generater." He added but Nick didn't really listen to that last part. He stopped listening at _'this place has a working shower'_

"Show me." He said, wanting nothing more than to wash all of the dirt and grime off of him but as he stood that pain in his leg escaladed and he crippled over, hand shooting out to hold the throbbing muscles as a loud groan escaped his gritted teeth.

"Careful'," Ellis spoke hushedly. "Yer leg's perdy bad, might need to stay off it fer a while."

Nick waved him off, his tough guy attitude kicking in as he caught his breath. "I'm fine. Besides, I don't care how bad my leg hurts I am taking a goddamn shower." He said in pure determination, the urge to feel clean again surpassing the pain.

"A'right, but a'least lemme help ya. Yew wouldn' make it to the bathroom down the 'all by yerself." Ellis offered, slinging the man's arm around his shoulder and, slowly, escorted him to the bathroom.

Nick relunctantly let the kid help him, knowing full and well that he really wouldn't make it too far on his own in this condition. Although it did hurt his pride a tad bit.

They reached the bathroom and Ellis led Nick to the toilet, where he gently let the man sit on the closed lid while he did Nick another favor by turning on the taps.

"Ok, now let me shower in peace please." The conman said, hand squeezing his throbbing leg as he began to shrug off his suit.

"Man, yew kin barely stand up." Ellis protested, reaching over to help the ex-criminal. "I dun mind helpin' ya out. Tha's whut friends are for.'" Ellis added, attempting to grab Nick's hand and lead him towards the shower but the conman pulled his hand away.

"I'm _fine_." Nick didn't mean to make it sound as harsh as it came out. "If y'all want to look at a naked man so badly, just strip down and look in a mirror."

"Hey man, I ain't no queer!" Ellis shot back, a little more defensively than Nick would have thought. Either he really was one of those bible preaching, homophobic southerner's or he was just hiding something.

Ellis left the room then, leaving behind an awkward silence. Nick had caught a glimpse of the boy's face and it had played a strange combination of emotions. Annoyance, anger, and what was that last one? Hurt?

Nick shook his head and shrugged it off, shaking his head and limping slowly towards the shower. He used the wall for support so he could put less strain on his injury, and after a few minutes of hobbling, finally made it to the bath tub.

Carefully, and with much difficulty he noted, Nick made it under the hot spray of the shower and let out a long, exasperated sigh.

The steaming water rippling down his back felt so good on his sore muscles, he closed his eyes and ran wet fingers through his messed up hair. Feeling the greasy strands of dark hair stick to his fingers grossely, Nick reached for the half full bottle of shampoo on one of the bath corners and squirted a fair amount into his palm. Massaging the goo into his hair he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so relaxed.

As if trying to spite him, his thoughts plagued him with images of a few nights ago when he shared a bed with Ellis. Nick frowned a bit. What was this uncomfortable feeling in his gut? It made his head throb uneasily and sent his stomach churning in a way that made him feel slightly nauseas. Could this be _guilt_? Was pro gambler, could-steal-candy-from-a-baby-and-not-give-a-fuck Nick actually feeling _bad _about how he had treated someone?

Sure, the kid was just trying to be helpful but did he really have to be so persistant about it?

Then Nick's train of thought began, once again, to drift back to their heated battle on the bridge, and how Ellis had came back for him after the bullet had bounced back and lodged itself in his leg. The one that was covered in wet bandages. The one that _Ellis_ must have bandaged while he was out.

He could have left him there. Hell, if he had he'd probably be safe on the other side of that god forsaken bridge, with Coach and Rochelle. But he didn't. And now, Nick felt like a total ass for yelling at the kid. Stupid human emotions he grumbled as he yanked the taps closed with so much force he was surprised he didn't rip them out.

Nick inched his way out of the tub, haunched over his leg to make sure he didn't bump it as he reached for a towel. He took a look at his grimy clothes and figured he'd better rinse them before putting them back on so for now, he put on only his pants, leaving the rest of the articles to be dealt with later.

Towel draped over his shoulder's as he rubbed his hair with the dry parts, Nick went downstairs. He walked into a room he figured was the kitchen, and saw Ellis over the stove, boiling a pot of 'who know's what'.

Ellis jumped slightly at the shuffling noise Nick made as he limped across the kitchen floor but calmed down when he saw that it was just the conman. Until of course he noticed that the other was lacking a shirt, in which his cheeks began to heat up just a tad. A few more moments of silence went on before Ellis finally spoke up.

"Found a can'a soup." He said hesitantly, remembering their last conversation. "Figured yew'd be hungry after sleepin' fer two days."

Nick could sense the tension in the air as he hobbled over to the table, taking a seat and sighing loudly. "Thanks overalls."

A small smile could be seen itching its way onto Ellis' lips at the petty name. He knew Nick usually called him those names to make fun of him, but to Ellis it was like the conman's strange way of showing whatever affection he felt towards the southerner.

The pot came to a harsh boil and Ellis cussed under his breath, taking it off the bruner and pouring it into a chipped yet clean bowl he had found. It was obvious the man had never cooked a meal in his life.

Ellis put the hot bowl emiting steam infront of Nick, wearing flower print oven mits that made Nick have to bite his lip to hold in a laugh. They kind of made Ellis look like some kind of weird house wife. He half imagined the hick saying 'here ya go darlin' in his goofy accent.

"Couldn' find the spoons, but y'all kin just drink it I'guess." He shrugged, sitting at the chair infront of Nick, an uncomfortable air stil clinging to him. It was faint now, but Nick, being the gambler he was, could pick up any trace of uncertainty. It was one of his best weapons.

Nick eyed his soup, just wanting to avoid looking at the other man. "Listen..." He started, pushing the bowl away from him slightly. "I'm...I'm sorry, ok?"

Ellis' face brightened and he looked at the other appalled. Not once had the conman ever apologized to him, even after offending his idle Jimmy Gibbs and interrupting his stories.

"I didn't mean what I said, I was just joking." He continued before adding. "I should know better than to tease you, so I'm sorry."

"S'alright man! I mean, I shoulda known yew was jokin' around." Ellis agreed rather easily. It kind of surpised Nick a bit. Nick picked up the bowl, blowing the hot steam away as he took a careful sip, the liquid stil scorching hot on his tongue but giving his stomach a warm feeling.

As Nick sipped slowly at the bowl of soup, Ellis worried his bottom lips between his teeth, a question on the tip of his tongue that he seemed to be contemplating wether to ask or not.

"Hey Nick?" He finally asked after moments of hesitation.

Nick hummed in response as he finished off the last gulp of his soup, a new wave of energy starting to flow over him at the refreshing meal bathing in his stomach.

Another moment of hesitation.

"What would y'all of said if i was one of them queers?" The southerner asked, saying the word '_queer_' as scornfully as he could manage as he tried to sound as casual about it as he could.

Nick put his bowl back down on the table and it made a slight clinking noise against the hard wood.

"Honestly," He started, eyes glancing up to look at the hick's slightly flustered face. "As long as you're not infected or trying to eat my face, I don't care if your some faggot or anything else." He said.

The tensed look on Ellis face seemed to disipate, but he was still wary of the words he let escape his tightly locked lips.

"Good to know." He said with a slight chuckle and this made the conman wonder what the kid was playing at.

**A/N : Sorry if this chapter kinda sucked, I promise the next one will be better its just that I had to type a lab for my chemistry class not to mention I had a dissection to prepare for in Bio, but I won't get into those details ;_; Anyway, I hope you guys will keep reading my brain slobber and review (please please pleeeease review T.T) Hopefully I'll be able to update chapter 4 tomorrow or at least this weekend so stay tuned. Till next time my little zombies!**


	4. Midsummer Showers

A while had passed since the rather strange conversation between Ellis and Nick. The older man still sat at the kitchen table, unwanting to get up because of his sore leg and also because he wasn't sure how much of this house was considered 'safe'.

"Hey Ellis," Nick started, thrumming his fingers against the table in an off beat rythm.

"Yea?" Ellis responded, sitting across from the conman.

"How long do you think we'll be able to stay in this house?"

"Well food's not really an'issue. Lot's a rations tha'kin last us a'least a few weeks." He said, nudging his chin towards a cubbort that he must have stashed the cans in. "An' I figured once yer leg's all healed up we kin find our way to the CEDA base. Maybe we'll find Coach and Ro there." He added.

Nick nodded in silence, contemplating the hicks plan. It wasn't a bad one, he was just concerned over how long the infected would stay away from this house.

"If y'all are worried about zombies, I havn't seen any since we fell of the bridge." Ellis included, seeming to read the elder man's thoughts.

"Doesn't mean they're not out there right now." Nick groaned, hooking a finger under one of the blind shambles and taking a peek outside, where sun managed to filter its way through dark clouds. A storm, Nick figured, must be on its way.

"Well then yew wanna take a look?" Ellis offered, standing up and seeming rather excited about getting out of the house for a bit, even if it ment a possible encounter with more infected.

Nick attempted to stand, but only ended up gritting his teeth at the raw pain in his thigh. "I can't do much in this state." He muttered, mostly to himself, feeling rather pathetic and pretty useless.

Ellis, despite being oblivious most of the time, gave Nick a sympathetic look.

"S'alright man, I kin take a look by myself."

Nick gave the kid an incredilous look as he raised an eyebrow. "What if you get snatched by a smoker? I won't be there to save your ass." Nick scoffed. "I might enjoy the peace and quiet, but truthfully, I need you overalls."

Ellis fixed Nick with an odd look, seeming to process what the man had just said. As he pieced together that, in other words, Nick seemed to start coming around and might actually like him just a tad a wide grin crept onto his mouth.

"Don'worry Mr. Gamblin' man. I'll jus' look 'round the house." Nick was about to protest before the hick could bound off, happy as a cricket. "I'll hollar if I need'ya." Ellis said as he grabbed his bloodied crowbar and headed out the door.

Nick watched the younger man head out the door, too late to argue with his idiocy. Had he even heard his warning or did he just not care? Either way, Nick sighed, realizing if they hadn't seen any infected in two days, then he didn't need to worry about the younger man, no matter how reckless he was at times.

Managing to stand upright, Nick hobbled out of the kitchen, using the wall as a support to keep the weight off of his injury.

"Might as well take a look around." He muttered to himself.

Ellis looked around the front porch of the ranch house, on the look out for any infected roaming the open plaines. It seemed pretty quiet, maybe the low civilization in the more rural parts of Savannah meant that zombie sighting's would be rare.

Deciding to explore a little more, Ellis jumped down the prch steps, looking out into the distance where the bridge, or what remained of it at least, was a far off speck on the horizon.

The river had carried them far from the city, and Ellis was starting to dread the length of uneven roads they would have to trudge through to get to the military base.

"A'least we're on the right side." Ellis mumbled to himself, fixing his hat.

He gripped his bat more firmly, swinging it in his hands as he strolled towards the back of the house to take a look at the backyard, figuring maybe he could find something interesting.

Ellis strode carelessly around, kicking chunks of fire wood out of his way and watching them roll to the side and swaying his bat slightly from side to side. His feet followed the log that rolled towards an old shed, its wood faded and splintered, the once vibrant green paint now a washed out color. He checked for weapons; hunting rifles, axes, perhaps even bags of ammo if he was lucky enough.

Ellis let out a dissapointed sigh when the side of the tool shed came up empty, nothing but more piles of wood lay in a messy heap beside the shed. Not even an axe was burried in the logs. Ellis figured he'd turn back if nothing of interest turned up, but just as he was about to head back to the house, he heard a twig snap.

Body tensing up, he gripped his base ball bat firmly and got in a ready stance, in case it was a zombie, perhaps the house owners that had been turned.

Instead, he was greeted by a beautiful dark body, curtain's of long, shiny black hair trailing down the creatures thick neck. Ellis stared in awe at the wonderful beast, and a look of both joy and amazement plastered on his face.

"Well ain't you a beaut." He said to the horse, taking a few steps towards it. It puffed out a finicky breath of air and stepped back as Ellis advanced. The young survivor noticed the horse's fright and got into a low crouch, holding his hand out in a coaxing motion as he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Shh shh shh, don' be afraid darlin'." He called out to the horse, waiting patiently for the animal to note that he wasn't its enemy.

Hesitantly, the horse took a cautious step towards him, and then another, and another. Soon the horse's snout was nuzzled against the hick's hand, and a smile of pure bliss crossed Ellis' features.

"A friendly thing, ain't ya." He said as he gently patted its snout.

Just then, Ellis remembered his partner, a wide grin making its way across his lips. "Nick! Ay Nick, come over here. I found sumethin'!"

Nick continued to hobble along the main floor of the house, not looking for anything in particular as he searched the cabinets and drawrs. Looking through one of the hall way drawrs he found a few bottles of pain killers and downed a few of the pills to numb his aching leg. Sighing with relief he continued his search for anything useful as he searched every nook and cranny.

Stumbling upon a half open broom closet, Nick figured it wouldn't hurt to take a look in there too. As he swung the door to the closet open, his spirits lifted when he layed eyes on the bottle of whiskey stashed away behind a few boxes.

Husband must of had a drinking probleme and kept a stash, Nick figured, not really caring at the moment as he unscrewed the top and took a swig from the bottle.

The alcohol went smoothly over his tongue and burned down his throat, giving him a warm feeling as the liquid sat in his stomach. Nick sighed in content as the alcohol also aided to numb his pain.

He continued to take drink after drink of the bottle, its contents rapidly declining. The bottle was nearly half gone by the time Nick heard Ellis' hollering. Nick jumped into action for a moment, fearful that the kid had gotten snagged by a smoker before he noted the tone in his voice. It didn't sound panicked.

Nick inched his way to the front door, limping out onto the porch and following Ellis' voice to the back of the house. "What is it?" He huffed, walking becoming a harder task when one of your legs were incompacitated.

Nick's shoulders stiffened slightly when he heard the whinney of whatever Ellis seemed so excited about. The gambler eyed the creature. A horse...the kid had found a freakin' horse.

"A horse?" He echoed his thoughts, giving Ellis an incredulous look.

"Yea a horse. Gosh Nick, ain't she a beaut. Man oh man do I love horses." Ellis gawked over the horse, petting along her neck.

Nick scoffed. "If you like horses so much, why don't you just go and marry it?" He chuckled, earning a slight glare from Ellis.

"Not in that way man, tha's sick!" Ellis' face scrunched in disgust.

Nick let out another breathy laugh, about to make some other crude joke when a loud boom of thunder sounded around them. Nick shifted his eyes up to look at the sky. Dark gray clouds were rolling in and the wind was picking up rather quickly. The storm that Nick had predicted earlier that day was starting to brew.

"Come on, Kid. We should get inside before it hits hard." Nick stated.

"But Nick, wha 'bout the horse?" Ellis brought up. "Shouldn' we put her in her barn to make sure she don' get hurt?" The hick fretted about the horse.

Nick sighed, knowing full and well that with Ellis' stubborness he wouldn't be leaving until they made sure that god damnes animal was safe and sound. "Alright fine. Hurry and put her in there and _let's go_."

Ellis turned back to the horse, grabbing gently at her mane as he tugged her along, making little clicking noises with his mouth to encourage her to follow him. The horse followed Ellis, letting him pull her towards the barn just a few yards away. Nick scampered ahead of the two, opening the barn doors cautiously, just incase there were some infected they had missed inside the haven. All he could see were mounds of hay and a water hole.

Feeling a thick raindrop fall onto his nose Nick looked impatiently at Ellis. "Would you hurry up already? Its starting to pour!" He shouted, feeling more than just a single fat droplet fall onto his face.

"Hold your horses," Ellis retorted, giggling to himself at the pun. "We're alomst there." He continued slowly, not wanting to rush the animal and have her resist him.

Another loud crash of thunder exploded around them, startling the horse as it lifted onto its hind legs and let out a high whinneying sound. The shock of the horse kicking out its hooves made Ellis stumble back, falling onto his backside as he was pelted with rain.

Nick instinctively went to the younger male's side, helping him up from the knock down as the horse trotted into the open barn. Nick followed behind it with Ellis at his side, taking refuge in the barn instead of walking back to the ranch house in this blinding storm.

When the two men had shuffled inside the barn, Ellis heaved the big, barn doors closed, a hard task due to the relentless wind and rain pummeling him. When the entrance was secured, he turned to Nick with a worn out smile, taking off his hat and wringing out the soaked mechanic cap.

"That there storm hit perty fast." He laughed.

Nick pulled at his wet suit, the once white garment now turned a light gray from the water. His dress shirt was almost equally as drenched, as were his pants. "Yeah."

Ellis frowned at his own wet clothes, a small shiver running up his spine. He grabbed the bottom of his faded yellow, 'Bull Shifters' tee and began peeling it off of his body.

"What are you doing?" Nick asked, a small stirring in his groin as he caught sight of the boy's tanned, flat stomach.

"We're gunna freeze if we stay like this." Was his response, as he wringed out the wet shirt and placed it over one of the stable posts. "Barn's don' have heaters." He added as he started undoing the knot of his coveralls, stripping out of the water logged material.

Nick felt a twitch in his nether regions, eyes glued to the hick's torso where two, perfectly pink nipples greeted him. His eyes sauntered over to where Ellis began sliding the coverall's down his narrow hips, the baby blue boxers visible as he slid them off.

Feeling more awkward with his clothes _on, _Nick began to mirror the kid's actions. Taking off his heavy suit and hanging it neatly over the fence.

Ellis seemed to notice Nick mimicking his actions and it was now his turn to feel the uncomfortable stirring in his loins. He watched as Nick carefully undid every button of the blue button down, biting his lip as he could start to feel the heat pooling in his stomach. His heartbeat began to race as the elder man fiddled with his belt before removing it, along with his own pants. The hick's ears began to turn red at the tips now that the other man was standing there in his almost naked glory, the tight boxers doing an awful bad job of hiding the conman's '_goods'_.

Ellis groaned at the slight hard-on he was sporting in his own underpants, and quickly padded towards the hay bale he'd be using as a temporary bed, knowing full and well the storm would most likely carry into the hours of the night.

Nick followed him, that being the only sizeable mount of straw in this barn other than the smaller piles. Ellis swallowed the lump in his throat, hoping that the other wouldn't notice the slight bump he had at the front of his boxers as he curled up in the prickly hay.

"W-what do yew say we git some shut-eye?" Ellis stuttered slightly, the other man so close to him he could feel the warmth that was radiating off of him ghost over him.

"Sounds good." Was all the other man said, getting as comfortable as he could in the make shift bed of hay that itched against his bare skin.

A bolt of lightening illuminated the darkness of the bar and another thunderclap echoed through the stormy night. Nick could feel Ellis tense up behind him everytime the thunder boomed, wondering what was making the kid so jumpy.

"You ok?" He asked, turning to face the kid but could barely see the hick's face.

"Y-yeah." Ellis murmured. "I jus' never liked storms very much. Rain's nice, but thunderstorm's always kinda scared me." He admitted in shame, expecting Nick to make fun of him for it.

"It's fine. I'm sure lots of people are scared of them."

Ellis was a little dumbfounded by the conman's understanding, surprised he didn't mock him. He felt a little better, but the thunder still continued overhead.

"I remember this one time..." The southerner started, figuring talking might distract him from the nasty storm. "Keith got locked in his uncles chicken coop. He was stuck there for two whole days cause his aunt an' uncle were out of town an' he was supposed to take care of their farm. Keith got so hungry, he 'ad to eat chicken eggs raw." Ellis let out a soft chuckle. "I tell yew, after that, Keith hasn't eaten anythin' chicken related since. Well, cept fer barbequed chicken a'least."

Nick only nodded as Ellis continued to tell him pointless stories about his friend Keith, and the occasional ones that involved Dave and Paul, Keith's older brother. But Nick didn't mind, as long as it kept the kid occupied. At some point after Ellis had finished talking to him about sometime when Keith had accidentaly lit his uncles whole crop field on fire one summer and attempted to douse the flames with only a wet T-shirt, that's when Nick began to just nod at the stories, giving off the occasional 'mhmm', to let Ellis' know he was still listening. At some point, Ellis had stopped talking and Nick wondered curiously if the hick had simply run out of stories.

The ex-criminal opened one closed eye and saw the peacefull figure of a sleeping Ellis, hands curled loosely by his head and cheast lifting up and down with every soft inhale. Nick bit back a smile and scooted a little closer to the warm, slumbering body.

"G'night kid." He whispered gently before closing his own eyes and waiting for sleep to wash over him as well.

**A/N : Sorry if this one took a while, I have exams starting this week so I might not be able to update. But, hopefully the next time I DO update I can salvage a chapter that has a bit more plot :P Anyhow, until next time my little zombies! **


	5. Questions Unanswered

Morning came sooner then the two survivors had expected, and the fields were aglow with sparkling dew from the night's rain. After setting the horse out to graze-Ellis had named her Sugar Biscuit, a mixture of names between the first horse he'd ever ridden and his favorite movie, the two went back into the ranch house.

Nick frowned as he picked up his suit hanging overtop one of the fence posts. Despite having set out his clothes to dry, the garments were still damp and cold. Not very much to the conman's liking.

"You start on breakfast." He said to Ellis, who was also carrying his still soaked shirt and coveralls. "I'll see if I can find us some clothes."

"Sure thing." Ellis chirped, tipping his hat as he dropped his clothes on the floor and went to rummage through cupboards to find a decent meal he could cook up.

Nick, being the cleanly person he was, folded his wet clothes and placed them on the kitchen table before heading upstairs to search the bedroom drawrs. The conman scanned the dressers for any clothes that might be leftover from either other survivors or even the house's owners having taken them. Nick frowned as he pulled out worn out T-shirt after another, with a couple of faded blue jeans. Ellis might appreciate them, but this wasn't really his style, and even in a zombie apocalypse, Nick wanted to make sure he still kept up his high society facade.

The rejected clothes lay on the bed in a wrinkled heap while Nick padded over to the closet, figuring that if whatever people who had lived here before had clothes of any rank of etiquet, they would most likely be hung up in the closet.

Opening the closet door, Nick was met with a pair of black dress pants, that didn't look too shaby, and a maroon colored dress shirt. Not the best ensemble but he'd gladly take it over ripped jeans and faded white T-shirts with mustard stains.

Grabbing a pair of underwear that he hoped had been washed recently along with a pair of socks that didn't reek of boomer bile, Nick began to redress into his new outfit. He was relieved at the feel of the fresh clothes on his body and figured that Ellis might appreciate a change of clothes too.

Nick carefully limped down the stairs, his leg still throbbing slightly but much better after downing a couple of pain pills, with a bundle of clean clothes in his arm for the hick.

When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Ellis in his baby blue boxers, not surprising considering that's how he had left the kid, pouring water out of a kettle into a bowl. Nick never would have thought that such little things, like electricity to boil water, would make him feel so relieved.

"Got you some clothes." He told the southerner as he hobbled over to the counter to see what kind of gruel the other had cooked up.

"Thanks." Ellis muttered as he put down the kettle and graciously took the clothes. He eyed the black T-shirt before slipping it over his body. The dark material hugged his body much like his last shirt had, and the short sleeves showed off his tribal tattoo perhaps even better than the last had.

"There's some clean socks and boxers upstairs too." Nick added just when the other was about to pull on the faded, ripped jeans.

Ellis looked up with a small, relieved grin. "Well thank goodness. I thought I was gunna hafta keep wearin' the same ol' boxers fer the rest of mah life." He quipped before jogging up the stairs.

Nick let out a breathy chuckle at the boy's childish antics as he grabbed his bowl of oatmeal off of the counter along with a stainless, silver spoon- Ellis must have found the cutlery.

In less than a minute, Ellis was back downstairs, clad in his new ensemble with his hat still perched on his head, grabbing the extra bowl of oatmeal and settling down in the chair adjacent of Nick.

Nick eyed the kid up and down as he shoveled a hungry spoonful of the goop into his mouth eagerly. While plainer than his previous Bull Shifter's T-shirt and coveralls, this mix of clothes flattered the boy in a different way.

"You look good." Was all Nick mustered up.

Ellis stopped, the spoon halfway to his mouth as his gaze fluttered up to the conman. The silver spoon lowered, away from his mouth and Nick could see the tips of the hick's ears turning pink.

"Uh yeah, you look good too, fancy suit." Ellis gave a nervous chuckle.

[X]

Their bellies full, the two survivors sat at the table, passing the time with idle chit chat. It was mostly Ellis that talked, telling stories about his past life in Savannah with Keith and how everyday the two of them found a new adventure while Nick nodded, vaguely paying attention.

Every so often, when Ellis needed to catch his breath from talking, he'd ask about Nick's own life. Cautiously at first, knowing that there were many thing's that the ex-criminal didn't want to share. Soon his questions were becoming more and more bold, on a much higher level of personal information.

"Will you be lookin' fer anyone at the CEDA base? Ya'know, family an' such? I sure hope I find my Ma an' Keith." Ellis began, going into a dark subject, his usually hyperactive demeanor calmed and tranquill.

Nick pursed his lips together tightly. "Not in particular."

"Yew mentioned y'all had an ex-wife. What about her?"

Nick's eyes narrowed, as if processing the question and contemplating wether or not to answer it. "We're not exactly on speaking terms. Infact, I wouldn't care less if she was one of those goddamn zombies."

"Nick that ain't nice. You 'er married once, don't ya even care?"

Nick chuckled darkly. "Hate to break it to ya kid, but people don't always get married cause they 'care' fer one another."

Ellis was a little confused bye this comment. "If y'all didn't love her, then why'd yew marry her?"

Nick was starting to get frustrated with questions about his ex-wife. "Let's just say she didn't give me a choice and leave it at that?" Was all he said before going silent.

Ellis realized that he had struck a nerve and ceased the questions about the older man's marriage, deciding to move onto a different topic. "So how d'ya think Ro and Coach are getting along." He asked, eyes downcast under his cap. "Think they made it to New Orleans?"

"It wasn't too far from where the bridge collapsed, I'm sure if we made it this far they got to the base." Nick spoke, his hand groping into his breast pocket and grasping the pack of cigarette's hidden inside.

Ellis frowned at the older man as he lit the cancer stick and stuck it between his lips, inhaling a long drag. He leaned over and plucked the cigarette from the other's mouth, grinding the ashy end against the table as a baffled Nick glared daggers at him.

"My Ma always told me these where bad for yer health." He said matter-of-factly.

"I'm sure they are, but that doesn't mean I give a rat's ass about it." Nick shot back, attempting to take another cigarette from the pack.

Once again, Ellis leaned over the table and snatched the entire cartridge out of his hand this time.

Nick had to hold everything in him not to lash out at the kid and instead let out a long, shuddering breath. "Alright you win."

Ellis smiled in victory, having not expected to win that fight so easily, or without major injuries. His smirk suddenly faded when the other man grasped a fist full of the black material at the front of his shirt.

"If you're not gonna let me smoke, then you better find another way to keep my mouth busy." He said gruffly.

Ellis looked at the man confused, about to ask him what the fuck he meant when suddenly a warm pair of lips crashed onto his own.

Nick's hands touched the other roughly yet sweetly, a hand holding the back of Ellis' neck firmly in place so that the hick couldn't escape, not that he wanted to. Ellis was panicking at first, not sure how to react to the sudden attack on his mouth but soon got over the shock of Nick's predatory pounce and gave in to the embrace, returning the sloppy kiss.

Ellis couldn't fight the passion coursing through his body and flung his arms around Nick's shoulder's, craning his neck to further welcome the kiss. He felt something wet probing at his lips and soon deducted that it was Nick's tongue begging for access to the other's mouth. The younger of the two hesitated for a moment but soon lust won the battle and he gladly parted his lips to let the adventurous tongue explore every crevice of his mouth.

Nick, washed over with his own animalistic urges, lifted Ellis' feet a few inches off the ground and turned him around so that he was sitting on the table top, legs at either side of the ex-criminal's haunches. Nick tugged at the bottom hem of the hick's black t-shirt, hinting that he wanted it off.

Ellis had long forgotten his hesitance and was now a heap of lust crazy flesh, eager to do whatever the older man instructed him to.

Nick began to pull the dark shirt over Ellis' head, their lips only parting for a split second as the useless material was flung somewhere, he didn't really care where it landed as long as it was far away.

Nick pressed his chest against Ellis' bare torso, running his fingernails down the length of the other's back. The taut muscles, most likely developped from the years Ellis had spent on a farm, rippled under his touch. He craved more. More skin on skin contact. He wanted to make the younger hic a quivering mess of want and need.

Finally, they parted to feed their oxygene starved lungs. Their breathing was hard and heavy, and neither looked at the other directly. Ellis' pants were starting to feel too tight, and he knew that Nick was in a similar state due to the fact that he could feel the other man's arousal poking him through his pants.

Nick took one look at the panting boy in front of him and a fire was lit once more. He tackled the hic so that he was practically laying on top of him. Ellis flinched as the table dug into his lower back but shifted to acomodate to the position. His own hands, trembling, began to hesitantly unbutton Nick's shirt. When all of the buttons, were undone, Nick shrugged off the maroon material, letting it slip to the floor as he flipped Ellis onto his stomach.

"W...Wait..." Ellis panted, panicking as he could feel his body turning. "Not here."

Nick let out a growl as he leaned over, pressing his chest onto the other's back. "Then were?"

"In a bed?" Ellis asked, and the gambler could hear the desperation in his voice. After a long pause, the ex-conman finally agreed.

"Fine." Nick grumbled, taking the younger boy by the wrist and dragging him upstairs.

Ellis struggled to keep up, stumbling over his legs that seem to have turned to jelly. When they reached the bedroom, the older man shoved Ellis back until he fell onto the bed. Somewhere along the way, the hic had lost his jeans so Nick decided to rid himself of his own before crawling on top of the panting boy splayed across the flower print bed sheets.

Ellis was greeted with another kiss as Nick's body lay across his. Their groins; covered by the thin material of their boxer shorts, rubbed together, creating delicious friction as the two moaned in unison at the wonderful feeling. Nick's hand began to trail down Ellis' sun kissed skin, reaching the hem of the hic's newly aquired, dark red boxers. He slipped them down the southerner's hips, revealing the strained member that sprung from its confines. Nick gave a grin at the sight, knowing that the other must be just as aroused as he was.

Ellis looked away from the gambler, face flushed and chest heaving with every breath he took. He'd never felt anything like this, never been with a girl before either. It's not that he couldn't get one, there had been a few that had shown interest but Ellis was the kind of guy who wanted to wait for someone special. He couldn't quite fathom why he was letting the ex felon be the first to experiance his body. Perhaps it was desperation or perhaps it was the fact that they were in the middle of a goddamn zombie apocolypse and if he didn't lose his virginity now he may never be able to. There were a few reasons that could explain the boy's decision but right now, with an obviously skilled partner touching him in all the right places, he was finding it hard to justify.

Ellis' cognitive reasoning was interrupted when a slickened digit wriggled its way into his entrance and he gave a chocked whimper at the invasion.

"H-hey man, what are you-"

"Shhh" The conman soothed, working in another finger alongside the first as he began to stretch him. "It hurts now, but it'll hurt alot more if I don't do this first so just relax, okay?"

Ellis wanted to ask him why he was sticking figers up his ass but decided to listen to the other and settled for grasping a handful of bedsheets to distract himself from the pain. He trusted Nick, and if he said that this would help then he would let him do it. The pain began to subside, a feeling a pleasure even begining to rise in the hic when the other finally retracted his fingers.

"On your stomach." Nick instructed and Ellis could hear the need in his voice. Once again he followed the orders he was given without question.

Nick wormed an arm under his abdomen and lifted him up so he was on all fours. Ellis could feel the breath of the older man ghosting on his neck, speckling his skin with the pin prickle of goosebumps as shudders rode up and down his spine. He swallowed hard as he felt Nick grasp his hip, steadying himself.

The only warning Nick provided as he eased his cock into Ellis' virgin entrance was a squeeze to the other's hips. Ellis let out a low grunt at the feeling of being penetrated. It felt weird as hell but he'd be lying if he said it didn't feel good at all. Although he would rather the good feeling come without the pain.

Nick, desperate from over a month without sex of any kind, began a steady rythm already. He rocked his hips back and forth, enjoying how tight and warm the other felt around his membre. It took all of his self control not to get carried away and just pummel the living daylights out of the younger hick, but damn did this ever feel good.

Ellis, who was on the receiving end, didn't quite have the same thoughts as Nick. The feeling of pain greatly outnumbered the feeling of pleasure but he kept quiet, focusing on controlling his breathing. It wasn't until Nick hit a spot burried deep inside of him that he completly lost control.

Nick smirked at the loud groan that the other emitted and angled his hips to rapidly hit that spot again and again. He was getting close already bbut grit his teeth as he urged himself on. He did, afterall, have a reputation to hold up and even in the zombie apocolypse reputation was everything to the conman.

"Nick...I'm gunna..."

Ellis could feel his own climax coming, hands gripping the bed sheets until his knuckles turned white. His mind became fuzzy with the need for release, he couldn't take much more of this. Finally, and with a little help from Nick's hand, Ellis finally came with a low groan of pleasure. Nick followed suit, quickly making note to withdraw his membre before emptying himself as to save the hick some discomfort later on.

The two lay panting, Nick collapsing on top of Ellis' spent body in exhaustion. The silence was heavy, aside from the sound of their raspy, out of synch breathing. As his heartbeat began to slow, Ellis was deducting what exactly happened between them. He just had sex with Nick, that was obvious, but the feeling of panic that washed over him confused him.

"Nick...I" He started, turning to the other while avoiding direct eye contact.

"Just shut up Ellis, get some sleep." Nick grumbled, making his own way under the blankets. His voice held no anger, in fact Ellis couldn't quite sense what emotion was laced in tone.

With a deep breath he disregarded the situation and turned on his side, facing the oposite of Nick's back. Ellis was still processing what had just happened in his mind, trying to understand it. A few unanswered questions rose in his mind but one in particular that drove the southerner crazy.

What exactly did he feel for his team mate?

**A/N: Wow, over 2 months since an update 0.o I've kind of forgotten alot of the things I wanted to write in this fic but I'm sure I'll find some way to replace them. So yeah, that was my first Nick/Ellis lemon, I hope you enjoyed I'm not quite that good at writing those kinds of scenes. Heck, I'm not that great at writing in general =P The ending seemed kind of abrupt to me but I really wasn't sure how to end it so I just kind of settled for that. None the less, I still hope you guys enjoyed. Please review, I would very much appreciate it! Let's hope the next chapter doesn't take as long as this one did =P**


	6. The Air Has Thickened

When Ellis woke up the space next to him was cold, a sign that the body that was once sleeping there had been gone for a while. He sat up, blankets pooling around his naked waist. He clearly remembered the events of last night, remebered Nick's powerful body ontop of his and a feeling of anxiety crashed over him like a tidal wave.

"I jus' got myself into sum' great shit, didn' I?" He slurred to himself, scratching at the prickly hair that had started the show on his face. Sighing heavily, he stood up with a grunt, searching the floor for his clothes. His lower back stung like a sonuvabitch as he hunched over, picking up his boxers before slipping them on.

After all his clothing articles had been found and put on, he ventured downstairs into the kitchen. When he entered the simple dining room he could see the back of the ex criminal sitting at the table, probably eating a bowl of dry cereal.

His face began to burn and his heartbeat quickened. When he opened his mouth to say something his throat felt too dry for words. Ellis couldn't help the awkward feeling that rushed over him. How would you feel if you had just slept with the man that was supposed to be your partner in the zombie apocolypse?

"Ellis I know you're standing there." Nick acknowledged without turning around, startling the hick.

The southerner stood there in silence for a while longer, trying to think of the best way to approach the conman. If all he did was stay quiet he would never quell the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Taking a few cautious steps forward Ellis took a seat oposite of his friend. He avoided eye contact and bit his lip, trying to find words but none came to him.

"Listen kid," Nick started with a sigh, the nickname getting Ellis' attention. "About last night...I just needed a bit of release, ok? I'm sorry if I put any strain on you."

The words should have felt reassuring to the younger man but instead left him feeling betrayed.

"Are you sure that's all it was?" Ellis asked hesitantly, eyes staring straight at Nick as if searching for something. He wished his voice didn't sound so desperate.

Nick looked a little taken aback by the question, his own green eyes narrowing as he examined the hick's expression. "Of course it was, I was horny. Do you see any women around here?" Nick shot back grufly. "Hate to break it to ya _sweatheart _but I don't normally hump guys."

Ellis was shocked by the words, especially Nick's tone when he said 'sweatheart'. It was as if the older man was mocking him. Suddenly a feeling of rage washed over Ellis as he realized that Nick had just used him to fill his own needs. He felt dirty and weak and wanted to just curl up into a ball and die.

"Well then, I'm glad I could be of assistance." He spat, raising out of his seat as he stomped out of the kitchen. "Holler next time y'all need another quick fuck!" Ellis nearly shouted, voice dripping with hatred and hurt.

Nick could only stare as the kid left the room. His gut felt twisted and his throat felt tight. He did feel bad about just using the kid but what else could you expect in a world that had gone to shit? Shaking the feeling he reached down to grab the pack of cigarettes that Ellis had knocked out of his hand last night, grabbing one of the sticks and popping it in his mouth as he lit it. He took a long drag before exhaling the plume of smoke through his nostrils.

"Way to go Nick, you probably just lost the only good thing you had in this goddam apocolypse." He spoke to himself before taking another puff of the cigarette.

[X]

Ellis wasn't sure where he was going, but he knew as he flew open the front door he wanted to be as far away from the conman as possible. He ran away from the ranch house, not bothering to check on Sugar Biscuit, the horse he had found, as he made a dash for the forest that was about thirty yards away from the house.

He didn't stop running, never even slowed as he barreled his way through low hanging branches, occasiaonally tripping over an overgrown tree root or stone. His eyes burned and his throat felt tight and dry but he refused to let any tears fall. That would only make him feel more pathetic then he already did.

Lungs burning, Ellis finally came to a stop, leaning against a large oak tree as he slumped to the ground. He panted heavily, cradling his sides that were throbbing from running so much it felt like fire was ingiting within him with every breath he took.

The poor boy sat there, regaining his breath and trying to understand the situation he had gotten himself in.

He had had sex with Nick, that was clear, and as a god fearing man that alone was enough to make Ellis feel filthy but he knew that it wasn't just that. He had felt too much pain when Nick had explained that it was just an out of the blue moment brought on by sexual deprivation and this left the hick confused. What did he mean to Nick? More importantly, what did Nick mean to him...?

With all the thoughts swimming in his head, it hadn't even come to mind for him to bring a weapon. He was vulnerable to any infected that may be wandering around. He may be able to hold off a few with brute strength but if something like a Smoker or a Jockey nabbed him he would be completely screwed, too far out of earshot for NIck to hear any of his cries for help. Not that the ex criminal was at the top of the list of people he wanted to save his ass at this moment.

Suddenly, the thought of being picked off by a special infected didn't seem all that bad...

Ellis shook his head. He couldn't think like that, not when he's made it so far. He pondered going back to the house but decided against it. He wasn't ready to face the conman just yet. Not to mention his legs felt so stiff from the run, he probably wouldn't be able to stand up let alone walk the half mile he must have covered on his way into the forest.

He let himself relax against the tree, his breathing now becoming more even and less painful. The way the midday sun shone through the canapy of trees was soothing to the hick and he soon felt his eyelids grow heavy and then close.

"Jus' a minute..." He mumbled as he began to drift into unconsciousness. "I'll just close mah eyes fer one minute, is all."

And in no time at all, the southerner was dragged into a deep slumber.

Ellis awoke with a jump to the sound of a crow cawing, realizing he must have closed his eyes for a lot more than just a minute as he noted the tell tale signs of dusk rapidly approaching in the ash colored sky. He'd been asleep for hours, surprising that an infected hadn't come aroound and attacked him in his sleep. Maybe this place really was a safe zone.

Forcing his stiff body up he stretched his arms, shoulder blades and then neck. All of his muscles cracked with a stiff snap, the sound itself satisfying the hick as he trudged back the direction he had came from. He knew he'd better get back to the ranch house soon, Nick was probably worried about him.

Ellis' eyes fell and darkened at the thought. Maybe Nick wasn't so worried about him after all? Maybe the only reason he was keeping around was so that he had someone to cover his back? It sure worked on the bridge when them and their other two teamates had been seperated. It's not like it would have been the first time the conman had used him, he thought, remembering those cold words this morning at the breakfast table.

_Look out for number 1_

Nick's motto rang in his ears and it only strengthened the sickness he felt in his gut. Maybe he could just up and run? Go to the military base in New Orleans by himself and perhaps if he was lucky, meet up with Coach and Rochelle? Ellis shook his head. That would never work. Not only would he be extremely susceptible to any of the special infected, but he could never leave Nick for dead, even if the conman was only using him as a tool to his own survival.

A crackling twig brought Ellis back to a state of alert. He felt his body tense as it went into survival mode. He shouldn't have been so damn aloof out here all alone. Wether he'd seen a zombie or not in the last few days didn't mean that they weren't still out there somewhere. One could easily stumble into the supposed safe haven.

Taking in his surroundings, Ellis reached for a thick, fallen branch that was laying on the floor. It wouldn't offer much protection, but it was better than nothing. He needed some sort of weapon and right now wasn't the time to be picky.

The sound of another twig snapping made him turn 90 degrees, to where his ears caught the noise. His eyes scanned the forest but the towering trees and rapidly approaching darkness was making it harder and harder to see.

Suddenly, with yet another crack of twig, he saw a shadow shift from behind one bush to another and gripped he his branch tighter. Whatever was hunting him down, he wasn't going to go without a fight.

This time, it was the crunch of leaves that startled him, and he turned around to come face to face with a pistol. The glinting metal loomed at him, held by shaking hands. Its holder was a woman, looking to be around his age with dark hair. Her green eyes locked with Ellis' own baby blue ones and shared a silent conversation as if to say 'don't attack, I'm human'.

Once the girl seemed to have ruled him out as a threat, probably due to his lack of a gun, she relaxed her shoulders and swayed slightly, unstable on her feet.

"Please..." She managed to whimper as she fell forward.

Ellis caught her before she could hit the ground. She didn't look so good, skin a sickeningly pale color, her pink hoodie caked with blood, dirt, and another slimy green substance. He knew if she didn't get some sort of help she wouldn't last much longer and unable just leave an innocent girl out in the woods like this he decided there was only one thing he could do.

Take her back to the ranch.

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a little weird, I had a bit of trouble trying to make it all run smoothly. Poor Nick and Ellis, looks like they've hit a bump in their relationship D= But yay, here comes Zoey's first appearence in the story! I've been dying to include her in this since I started it =] But I waited patiently until it was her time to show up. If there are any Zoey haters reading this fic, I just want to warn you that I personally really like Zoey so there will be no bashing in this fic. For those of you who actually do like Zoey, hurray! enjoy the read! 3 Anyway, I don't know when the next chapter will be out but stay tuned anyway, I'll try to have it out ASAP! Please review, leave any kind of comment, it would be very much appreciated, Byeee!**


	7. The New Team

Nick sat on the light grey-green loveseat, sipping from the bottle of whiskey he had found the other morning. Its contents were rapidly decreasing from his persistant drinking and Nick hoped that there would be more stowed away somewhere because he was going to need a lot of alcohol to forget this whole fiasco.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, hoping that would help soothe the raging headache he had. When that failed he took another swig of his drink and the pain seemed to ebb away. Of course it would come back later, tenfold, but Nick would cross that bridge when it came. He was, as his ex wife used to tell him with bitter scorn, drinking his worries away.

It had been hours since Ellis had stormed out of the house, leaving Nick anxious with thoughts of whether the kid was even still alive or not. He would have gone to search for him after the first hour, but his busted leg combined with his drinking wouldn't have allowed him togo very far anyway. The sun had completely fallen from the sky by now, the only thing left in its wake was the soft orangey glow against the ashy sky. It would be less than an hour until dark, and even if this land was zombie free, as far as they knew at least, who knows what else could pick off the hick, or leave him injured.

Nick was contemplating whether he should risk his leg and go look for Ellis when the front door swung open, startling the intoxicated criminal.

"Where the _hell _have you been?" Nick demanded, lifting himself off of the sofa to scold the hick for dissapearing for more than half of the day. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the boy.

Ellis scurried into the house, in a huff and carrying a girl in his arms. Nick stared at them both incredulously, as if trying to figure out what was happening in his head.

"What are you doing?" Nick asked him, an edge to his tone. "And who is _she_?"

"She's hurt Nick." Ellis replied. The kid hurried passed him, laying the girl down on the couch.

"I don't care if she's hurt!" Nick threw his arms up, alcohol sloshing in the half empty bottle. "For all we know, she could be infected, and you brought her into the _house_!?" He exclaimed. He may have been drunk, but he wasn't drunk enough to overlook the possibilities of this stranger being a threat.

Either Ellis didn't hear him or he really didn't care what the conman had to say because Nick's argument was ignored while Ellis focused on making sure this girl was properly elevated.

Nick sighed, knowing the kid wouldn't listen to him anytime soon, especially not after their dispute this morning so he decided to take in the over all appearence of their new guest. She looked weak, as if she hadn't had anything to eat or drink in days. Her skin was sickeningly pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her clothes were matted with dirt and dried blood, not to mention her body was covered in bruises and cuts that appeared infected and needed immediate attention. This only heightened Nick's feelings of unease as he realized that the chances of this girl turning out harmless were decreasing drastically every second he examined her.

His eyes drifted towards her face. Under the layers of dirt and grime this girl was rather attractive. Young too by the looks of it, probably around Ellis's age.

Ellis came back into the room with a cup of water, Nick hadn't even notice him leave. He kneeled down next to the girl and brought the cup to her lips, tipping it gently to let a bit of the liquid trickle into her mouth.

As soon as the coldness hit her lips the girl coughed, Jerking up from the couch as she took in her surroundings and noticed the two strangers. She reached for her gun which lay next to the couch, but Nick was one step ahead of the dilirious girl and kicked it away, reaching into his pant's pocket to pull out his own pistol.

Watching as her only means of defense was kicked out of her reach and noticing the gun pointed at her face, the girl raised her hands over her head cautiously.

Ellis, getting over the shock of the moment, pushed the conman's gun down and gave him a look that said to be friendly. He then turned to the girl.

"Don' be afraid darlin'." He spoke softly, trying not to scare her. "We're just tryin' to help."

Still on edge, the girl lowered her arms.

"Tha's it. What's your name darlin'?"

She took a moment, pondering whether or not to trust these two men Nick assumed. He could see the way her eyes moved, as if wondering if she could give them a fake name or not but then her features calmed and her shoulders slumped as she realized there was probably no danger.

"Zoey."

Ellis smiled, offering his hand to the new girl. "Well hello there Zoey, my name's Ellis."

The brunette smiled and shook his hand, turning to Nick next with her hand extended.

The ex-criminal only looked at her hand with an almost disgusted expression, his germaphobic eyes detecting the grime and dirt coating the pale fingers.

"The name's Nick, sweetheart." He finally offered with a scoff, earning himself a glare from the girl. "Now tell me, have you come in contact with the infected?"

Zoey let out a soft laugh. "Who hasn't been in contact with them this late in the game." She humored dully, noting the way that the conman flinched and gripped his gun tighter.

"I'm not infected." She said smoothly. Nick couldn't detect any panic in her voice so he chose to believe her. "I'm immune, like you two I'm guessing?"

"Tha's right." Ellis answered before Nick.

Nick sent Ellis a glare out of the corner of his eye.

"So what were you doing all alone in them woods?" Ellis asked her.

Zoey's eyes grew concerned and she furrowed her brow.

"I got seperated from my team. Two other survivors...well, we were three..." She whispered the last part, ducking her head in sorrow.

Ellis offered her his sympathy with sad eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that."

She shook her head, willing the sadness out of her. "It's alright. Anyway, what about you guys?"

"We got seperated from our team too, we plan on catchin' up with em' in New Orleans when Nick's leg heals up." He motioned to the older man who avoided putting much weight on his wounded limb.

"Then I guess we're both headed the same direction." Zoey said with a warm smile.

"I guess so." Ellis responded, offering a smile just as sweet.

Nick couldn't explain the wrenching in his gut as he noticed the tenderness in the hicks face when he looked at her. All he knew for certain was that he wasn't too fond of this Zoey girl.

**Author's Note : Yay! Zoey's finally here 3 God I love her xD So yeah I'm aware that I haven't updated this in like, 2 months and I'm VERY sorry for that D= I'll try to get the next chapter up much sooner but with my school having started a couple weeks ago I really don't know how much time I can set aside for fanfiction =( I'd still appreciate it if you guys kept reading my stories though, it means a lot to me. Reviews are like candy =3**


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